LISA McSHERRY (Pacific Northwest) is a Witch, priestess, and author who has contributed to many magazines, anthologies, and annuals, such as Witches & Pagans, newWitch, and Llewellyn s almanacs. She has led the Jaguar Moon cyber coven since 2000, has been featured on many Pagan podcasts, and is the founder of Facing North, an online community resource. www.CyberCoven.org.

"McSherry makes some of the most complex aspects of American eclectic Wicca practice accessible and understandable, all while providing a much-needed update on aspects of the practice. She unchains energy polarity from the limited in concept of gender, explains what a Book of Shadows actually does for a practitioner, and for theists, shows how deity relationships function in a cooperative manner. This book is a wonderful inclusive, and academically anchored approach to Wicca that allows beginners to engage with clarity."—Diana Rajchel, author of Hex Twisting"If you're one of the many people who feel drawn to Wicca and related modern Pagan practices but who don't feel comfortable joining a formal tradition, you're in for a treat. Lisa McSherry' book A Witch's Guide to Crafting Your Practice is the resource you've been waiting for. McSherry walks the reader through the steps necessary to build a personal spiritual practice, from altars and tools to deities, energy work, and ethics. This is not a "quickie" setup but a deep dive into solitary Craft...At the end, you'll have a solid basis for lifelong spiritual practice, and it will have been time well spent."—Laura Perry, founder and Temple Mom of Modern Minoan Paganism and third-degree Wiccan priestess"A Witch's Guide to Crafting Your Practice is the book I wish I'd had when I was first exploring Paganism over a quarter century ago. Not just because it's an excellent foundational text, but also because Lisa McSherry explains so much of the why and how of what is often taken for granted in elementary Craft. And she does a wonderful job of breaking it out of the gender binary and other assumptions that 21st century practice has traded in for more inclusive ways of being and practicing."—Lupa, creator of the Tarot of Bones

• ContentsAcknowledgments … xiIntroduction … 1Part 1: FoundationChapter 1: Book of Shadows … 15Chapter 2: Create Your Altar … 29Chapter 3: Introducing Deity … 37Chapter 4: What Is Magic? … 53Chapter 5: Ethics of the Witch … 61Part 2: PracticeChapter 6: It’s All in Your Mind … 75Chapter 7: Energy Work … 99Chapter 8: Tools of the Craft … 129Chapter 9: Creating Sacred Space … 147Chapter 10: Inviting Powers and Beings … 159Chapter 11: Creating Rituals and Spells … 179Conclusion … 201Appendix: Elemental Worksheet … 203Glossary … 205Bibliography … 221Index … 229